The fish this time are Aussie couple, Rooster (Andrew Buchanan) and Meg (Liz Buchanan) and the pond is the city of love, Paris. They sublet a fancy Parisian apartment from a sophisticated French couple, Serge (Pacharo Mzembe) and Lea (Melanie Zanetti).

Once their vacation begins, the cracks in their relationship begin to appear. They have unresolved differences and are having to contend with a new addition to the family, the arrival of twin daughters, one with special needs. One night after a Meg has had a few too many she lets Rooster have it with a large number of unvarnished opinions.

The play is filled with real truths and the easy going structure allows those to dovetail nicely with the ample comic moments. L’Appartement will make you laugh and think in equal parts.

L’Appartement is currently playing at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC until August 31.

Rob Hudson
www.queenslandtheatre.com.au

A co-production between Brisbane Festival and La Boite, Prize Fighter will transform the Roundhouse Theatre, Australia’s only purpose-built theatre-in-the-round, into a spectacular boxing arena showcasing the story of Isa, a talented young Congolese boxer.

Played by Pacharo Mzembe, one of Queensland’s most talented young actors, Isa’s powerful left hook offers a new life in Australia, but as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career he is faced with his greatest opponent – his past.

Prize Fighter is the debut play of Future D. Fidel, a Playwright-in-Residence at La Boite, who was forced to flee from the DRC as a child following the civil war in 1996. After eight years in a Tanzanian refugee camp, Fidel and his siblings were granted refugee status in Australia and travelled to Brisbane. Future is an incredible success story, having been awarded the Young African Australian Star Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2014.

Pacharo Mzembe performs alongside his brother, Gideon Mzembe, and Sophia Emberson-Bain, forming an all-Brisbane cast in lead roles. At a young age, the two Mzembe brothers came to Australia from Malawi with their parents, their casting in this world premiere celebrates the Brisbane African community.

Prize Fighter at La Boite
Saturday 5 – Saturday 26 September 2015
www.laboite.com.au